Jessie Dean Wyatt was born 16 August 1940 near Lacy-Lakeview, Texas, a small suburb of Waco, Texas. She is the fourth of five daughters born to William Ray Wyatt and Dorothy Evelyn Brown. Her birth occurred in a small house located on the truck farm belonging to her father's parents.
When she was a small child, the family moved from Waco to Reagan, Texas, where Jessie's father had been called to pastor the Baptist church. The years in Reagan were the best of her life, she recalls; it was a wonderful little town with good people. It was also there that she gave her heart to Jesus Christ. She was baptized and became Jesus' disciple at age 6.
When she was in sixth grade, the family moved to Mineral Wells, Texas where she attended school through ninth grade. It was in Mineral Wells that she met her husband-to-be, Kenneth Lavon Anastas, and had her first date by inviting him to the church's "Sweetheart Banquet" on Valentine's Day. The family moved again, this time to Fort Worth, Texas. She and Kenneth continued dating and married between her junior and senior years at Amon Carter Riverside High School. They settled in a garage apartment in the Riverside area while Jessie finished high school. Kenneth went to work for his father-in-law in construction; he became an excellent builder and made a good career in that industry, first in heavy street/highway construction, later in home building, then later restaurant building for the Pamex Corporation which built Pancho's Mexican Cafeterias as well as Spanish Galleon seafood restaurants.
Jessie and Kenneth had three children together: Kimberly Jayne (1960), Deborah Jean (1962) and Kenneth Lavon, Jr., (1974). Both Kim and Kenny had twins. Debbie, who developed Type I diabetes when a teenager, did not have children.
In 1985 Jessie's peripheral vision began to disappear and she was discovered to have retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disease which results in total blindness over a period of years. She was told by doctors that she inherited the defective gene from both sides of her family. After a trip to Boston's ENT clinic and a battery of tests, it was determined she was not a good candidate for research and/or experimental treatments. She became totally blind after about 10 years and worked with the Texas Commission for the Blind's training institute in Austin, Texas to learn mobility and other skills needed to enable her to live the fullest life possible. She lived in apartments and held a job for the next few years to support herself.
In 1986 Jessie and Kenneth divorced. She remarried to William T. Innmon two years later and moved from Burleson to Liberty Hill, Texas, but that marriage also ended in divorce in 1989. Jessie remained in Liberty Hill to allow her son to finish high school there. He married after he graduated from high school, and Jessie moved to Austin, where she continued mobility and computer training for the blind. She worked first at Texas Commission for the Blind, then later worked out of her home managing business and doing billing for a plumber. She did a remarkable job of learning to live alone and take care of herself and enjoyed the company of many, many friends.
Jessie was a gifted poet and essayist and also did some public inspirational speaking for faith-based conferences. She lived in Austin, Texas for 15 years, then moved to Rockdale (Milam County), Texas nearer her son and his family where she lived alone and led an active life with the help of her son, friends, and Handi-Tran. When her son and his family moved farther south to Mason, Texas, Jesus declined to move to that area, choosing to remain in Rockdale.
On December 20, 2019 Jessie suffered a slight stroke at home. The last thing she remembers is that she had something in the oven and had just thought, "I've got to turn off the oven". A good neighbor, Jay, had not seen her around so went to check on her, and she came to the door but could not speak; the house was filled with smoke from the burning food in the oven, so he turned it off. Recognizing that she had had a stroke, he summoned another neighbor and they took her to a hospital in Taylor, Texas but were sent on to Scott & White in Round Rock, Texas. She was there for 5 days, being monitored for stroke and weakness in one side, but she fully recovered and had no apparent permanent damage. Her daughter, Kim, took her home to Rockdale on Christmas Day, where she recovered her strength.
Around Thanksgiving 2021 Jessie was found by her son, Kenny, in poor condition in her home in Rockdale -- both physically and mentally, from dehydration and kidney failure. He took her to his home in Mason, Texas and eventually moved her into a nursing home in Llano, Texas. She was there only a few weeks before she was hospitalized with kidney failure in Ascension Seton Hospital in Austin. She died there mid-afternoon on February 1, 2022, with her son Kenny by her side.
Jessie was buried near her parents at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth, Texas.
She is survived by her three children and their families: Kimberly (Anastas) Thibodeau (Ron) and Kim's twins Rachel and Reece McDonald; Deborah (Anastas) Folse; and Kenneth L. Anastas, Jr. (Kelli) and their twins Peyton and Presley Anastas, and son, Kenneth Pace Anastas. Also surviving are two sisters, Dr. Jean Kemp (Dr. Leroy Kemp) of Belton, Texas, and Joan Bradley of Arlington, Texas. She was preceded in death by her parents and two sisters, June Nesbit and Jane Davis
When she was a small child, the family moved from Waco to Reagan, Texas, where Jessie's father had been called to pastor the Baptist church. The years in Reagan were the best of her life, she recalls; it was a wonderful little town with good people. It was also there that she gave her heart to Jesus Christ. She was baptized and became Jesus' disciple at age 6.
When she was in sixth grade, the family moved to Mineral Wells, Texas where she attended school through ninth grade. It was in Mineral Wells that she met her husband-to-be, Kenneth Lavon Anastas, and had her first date by inviting him to the church's "Sweetheart Banquet" on Valentine's Day. The family moved again, this time to Fort Worth, Texas. She and Kenneth continued dating and married between her junior and senior years at Amon Carter Riverside High School. They settled in a garage apartment in the Riverside area while Jessie finished high school. Kenneth went to work for his father-in-law in construction; he became an excellent builder and made a good career in that industry, first in heavy street/highway construction, later in home building, then later restaurant building for the Pamex Corporation which built Pancho's Mexican Cafeterias as well as Spanish Galleon seafood restaurants.
Jessie and Kenneth had three children together: Kimberly Jayne (1960), Deborah Jean (1962) and Kenneth Lavon, Jr., (1974). Both Kim and Kenny had twins. Debbie, who developed Type I diabetes when a teenager, did not have children.
In 1985 Jessie's peripheral vision began to disappear and she was discovered to have retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disease which results in total blindness over a period of years. She was told by doctors that she inherited the defective gene from both sides of her family. After a trip to Boston's ENT clinic and a battery of tests, it was determined she was not a good candidate for research and/or experimental treatments. She became totally blind after about 10 years and worked with the Texas Commission for the Blind's training institute in Austin, Texas to learn mobility and other skills needed to enable her to live the fullest life possible. She lived in apartments and held a job for the next few years to support herself.
In 1986 Jessie and Kenneth divorced. She remarried to William T. Innmon two years later and moved from Burleson to Liberty Hill, Texas, but that marriage also ended in divorce in 1989. Jessie remained in Liberty Hill to allow her son to finish high school there. He married after he graduated from high school, and Jessie moved to Austin, where she continued mobility and computer training for the blind. She worked first at Texas Commission for the Blind, then later worked out of her home managing business and doing billing for a plumber. She did a remarkable job of learning to live alone and take care of herself and enjoyed the company of many, many friends.
Jessie was a gifted poet and essayist and also did some public inspirational speaking for faith-based conferences. She lived in Austin, Texas for 15 years, then moved to Rockdale (Milam County), Texas nearer her son and his family where she lived alone and led an active life with the help of her son, friends, and Handi-Tran. When her son and his family moved farther south to Mason, Texas, Jesus declined to move to that area, choosing to remain in Rockdale.
On December 20, 2019 Jessie suffered a slight stroke at home. The last thing she remembers is that she had something in the oven and had just thought, "I've got to turn off the oven". A good neighbor, Jay, had not seen her around so went to check on her, and she came to the door but could not speak; the house was filled with smoke from the burning food in the oven, so he turned it off. Recognizing that she had had a stroke, he summoned another neighbor and they took her to a hospital in Taylor, Texas but were sent on to Scott & White in Round Rock, Texas. She was there for 5 days, being monitored for stroke and weakness in one side, but she fully recovered and had no apparent permanent damage. Her daughter, Kim, took her home to Rockdale on Christmas Day, where she recovered her strength.
Around Thanksgiving 2021 Jessie was found by her son, Kenny, in poor condition in her home in Rockdale -- both physically and mentally, from dehydration and kidney failure. He took her to his home in Mason, Texas and eventually moved her into a nursing home in Llano, Texas. She was there only a few weeks before she was hospitalized with kidney failure in Ascension Seton Hospital in Austin. She died there mid-afternoon on February 1, 2022, with her son Kenny by her side.
Jessie was buried near her parents at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth, Texas.
She is survived by her three children and their families: Kimberly (Anastas) Thibodeau (Ron) and Kim's twins Rachel and Reece McDonald; Deborah (Anastas) Folse; and Kenneth L. Anastas, Jr. (Kelli) and their twins Peyton and Presley Anastas, and son, Kenneth Pace Anastas. Also surviving are two sisters, Dr. Jean Kemp (Dr. Leroy Kemp) of Belton, Texas, and Joan Bradley of Arlington, Texas. She was preceded in death by her parents and two sisters, June Nesbit and Jane Davis
Jessie Dean Wyatt was born 16 August 1940 near Lacy-Lakeview, Texas, a small suburb of Waco, Texas. She is the fourth of five daughters born to William Ray Wyatt and Dorothy Evelyn Brown. Her birth occurred in a small house located on the truck farm belonging to her father's parents.
When she was a small child, the family moved from Waco to Reagan, Texas, where Jessie's father had been called to pastor the Baptist church. The years in Reagan were the best of her life, she recalls; it was a wonderful little town with good people. It was also there that she gave her heart to Jesus Christ. She was baptized and became Jesus' disciple at age 6.
When she was in sixth grade, the family moved to Mineral Wells, Texas where she attended school through ninth grade. It was in Mineral Wells that she met her husband-to-be, Kenneth Lavon Anastas, and had her first date by inviting him to the church's "Sweetheart Banquet" on Valentine's Day. The family moved again, this time to Fort Worth, Texas. She and Kenneth continued dating and married between her junior and senior years at Amon Carter Riverside High School. They settled in a garage apartment in the Riverside area while Jessie finished high school. Kenneth went to work for his father-in-law in construction; he became an excellent builder and made a good career in that industry, first in heavy street/highway construction, later in home building, then later restaurant building for the Pamex Corporation which built Pancho's Mexican Cafeterias as well as Spanish Galleon seafood restaurants.
Jessie and Kenneth had three children together: Kimberly Jayne (1960), Deborah Jean (1962) and Kenneth Lavon, Jr., (1974). Both Kim and Kenny had twins. Debbie, who developed Type I diabetes when a teenager, did not have children.
In 1985 Jessie's peripheral vision began to disappear and she was discovered to have retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disease which results in total blindness over a period of years. She was told by doctors that she inherited the defective gene from both sides of her family. After a trip to Boston's ENT clinic and a battery of tests, it was determined she was not a good candidate for research and/or experimental treatments. She became totally blind after about 10 years and worked with the Texas Commission for the Blind's training institute in Austin, Texas to learn mobility and other skills needed to enable her to live the fullest life possible. She lived in apartments and held a job for the next few years to support herself.
In 1986 Jessie and Kenneth divorced. She remarried to William T. Innmon two years later and moved from Burleson to Liberty Hill, Texas, but that marriage also ended in divorce in 1989. Jessie remained in Liberty Hill to allow her son to finish high school there. He married after he graduated from high school, and Jessie moved to Austin, where she continued mobility and computer training for the blind. She worked first at Texas Commission for the Blind, then later worked out of her home managing business and doing billing for a plumber. She did a remarkable job of learning to live alone and take care of herself and enjoyed the company of many, many friends.
Jessie was a gifted poet and essayist and also did some public inspirational speaking for faith-based conferences. She lived in Austin, Texas for 15 years, then moved to Rockdale (Milam County), Texas nearer her son and his family where she lived alone and led an active life with the help of her son, friends, and Handi-Tran. When her son and his family moved farther south to Mason, Texas, Jesus declined to move to that area, choosing to remain in Rockdale.
On December 20, 2019 Jessie suffered a slight stroke at home. The last thing she remembers is that she had something in the oven and had just thought, "I've got to turn off the oven". A good neighbor, Jay, had not seen her around so went to check on her, and she came to the door but could not speak; the house was filled with smoke from the burning food in the oven, so he turned it off. Recognizing that she had had a stroke, he summoned another neighbor and they took her to a hospital in Taylor, Texas but were sent on to Scott & White in Round Rock, Texas. She was there for 5 days, being monitored for stroke and weakness in one side, but she fully recovered and had no apparent permanent damage. Her daughter, Kim, took her home to Rockdale on Christmas Day, where she recovered her strength.
Around Thanksgiving 2021 Jessie was found by her son, Kenny, in poor condition in her home in Rockdale -- both physically and mentally, from dehydration and kidney failure. He took her to his home in Mason, Texas and eventually moved her into a nursing home in Llano, Texas. She was there only a few weeks before she was hospitalized with kidney failure in Ascension Seton Hospital in Austin. She died there mid-afternoon on February 1, 2022, with her son Kenny by her side.
Jessie was buried near her parents at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth, Texas.
She is survived by her three children and their families: Kimberly (Anastas) Thibodeau (Ron) and Kim's twins Rachel and Reece McDonald; Deborah (Anastas) Folse; and Kenneth L. Anastas, Jr. (Kelli) and their twins Peyton and Presley Anastas, and son, Kenneth Pace Anastas. Also surviving are two sisters, Dr. Jean Kemp (Dr. Leroy Kemp) of Belton, Texas, and Joan Bradley of Arlington, Texas. She was preceded in death by her parents and two sisters, June Nesbit and Jane Davis
When she was a small child, the family moved from Waco to Reagan, Texas, where Jessie's father had been called to pastor the Baptist church. The years in Reagan were the best of her life, she recalls; it was a wonderful little town with good people. It was also there that she gave her heart to Jesus Christ. She was baptized and became Jesus' disciple at age 6.
When she was in sixth grade, the family moved to Mineral Wells, Texas where she attended school through ninth grade. It was in Mineral Wells that she met her husband-to-be, Kenneth Lavon Anastas, and had her first date by inviting him to the church's "Sweetheart Banquet" on Valentine's Day. The family moved again, this time to Fort Worth, Texas. She and Kenneth continued dating and married between her junior and senior years at Amon Carter Riverside High School. They settled in a garage apartment in the Riverside area while Jessie finished high school. Kenneth went to work for his father-in-law in construction; he became an excellent builder and made a good career in that industry, first in heavy street/highway construction, later in home building, then later restaurant building for the Pamex Corporation which built Pancho's Mexican Cafeterias as well as Spanish Galleon seafood restaurants.
Jessie and Kenneth had three children together: Kimberly Jayne (1960), Deborah Jean (1962) and Kenneth Lavon, Jr., (1974). Both Kim and Kenny had twins. Debbie, who developed Type I diabetes when a teenager, did not have children.
In 1985 Jessie's peripheral vision began to disappear and she was discovered to have retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disease which results in total blindness over a period of years. She was told by doctors that she inherited the defective gene from both sides of her family. After a trip to Boston's ENT clinic and a battery of tests, it was determined she was not a good candidate for research and/or experimental treatments. She became totally blind after about 10 years and worked with the Texas Commission for the Blind's training institute in Austin, Texas to learn mobility and other skills needed to enable her to live the fullest life possible. She lived in apartments and held a job for the next few years to support herself.
In 1986 Jessie and Kenneth divorced. She remarried to William T. Innmon two years later and moved from Burleson to Liberty Hill, Texas, but that marriage also ended in divorce in 1989. Jessie remained in Liberty Hill to allow her son to finish high school there. He married after he graduated from high school, and Jessie moved to Austin, where she continued mobility and computer training for the blind. She worked first at Texas Commission for the Blind, then later worked out of her home managing business and doing billing for a plumber. She did a remarkable job of learning to live alone and take care of herself and enjoyed the company of many, many friends.
Jessie was a gifted poet and essayist and also did some public inspirational speaking for faith-based conferences. She lived in Austin, Texas for 15 years, then moved to Rockdale (Milam County), Texas nearer her son and his family where she lived alone and led an active life with the help of her son, friends, and Handi-Tran. When her son and his family moved farther south to Mason, Texas, Jesus declined to move to that area, choosing to remain in Rockdale.
On December 20, 2019 Jessie suffered a slight stroke at home. The last thing she remembers is that she had something in the oven and had just thought, "I've got to turn off the oven". A good neighbor, Jay, had not seen her around so went to check on her, and she came to the door but could not speak; the house was filled with smoke from the burning food in the oven, so he turned it off. Recognizing that she had had a stroke, he summoned another neighbor and they took her to a hospital in Taylor, Texas but were sent on to Scott & White in Round Rock, Texas. She was there for 5 days, being monitored for stroke and weakness in one side, but she fully recovered and had no apparent permanent damage. Her daughter, Kim, took her home to Rockdale on Christmas Day, where she recovered her strength.
Around Thanksgiving 2021 Jessie was found by her son, Kenny, in poor condition in her home in Rockdale -- both physically and mentally, from dehydration and kidney failure. He took her to his home in Mason, Texas and eventually moved her into a nursing home in Llano, Texas. She was there only a few weeks before she was hospitalized with kidney failure in Ascension Seton Hospital in Austin. She died there mid-afternoon on February 1, 2022, with her son Kenny by her side.
Jessie was buried near her parents at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth, Texas.
She is survived by her three children and their families: Kimberly (Anastas) Thibodeau (Ron) and Kim's twins Rachel and Reece McDonald; Deborah (Anastas) Folse; and Kenneth L. Anastas, Jr. (Kelli) and their twins Peyton and Presley Anastas, and son, Kenneth Pace Anastas. Also surviving are two sisters, Dr. Jean Kemp (Dr. Leroy Kemp) of Belton, Texas, and Joan Bradley of Arlington, Texas. She was preceded in death by her parents and two sisters, June Nesbit and Jane Davis
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